Dehydrator



Patented Jan. 2, 1923.

WILLIAM O. EDDY, OF LOS ANGELES, CALI 1,440,776 TENT OFFICE.

FORNIAJASSIGNOR TO PETROLEUM RECTI- -FYING COMPANY OF CALIFORNIA, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORIPORA:

TION OF CALIFORNIA.

DEHYDR'ATOR.

Application filed December 27, 1921. Serial No. 525,692.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that '1. WILLIAM O. EDDY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Lgs Angeles and State of California, have i vented a new and useful Dehydrator, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the artof dehydrating emulsions by the so called electrical process. In this process a body of emulsion is passed between electrodes having a potential impressed therebetween, the effect of the electric potential being to cause the fine wa-' ter particles to collect together into larger masses which readily settle out under the action of gravity.

The object of my invention is to produce a dehydrator which will have certain advantages which will be made more evident hereinafter.

Referring to the drawings which are for illustrative purposes only,

Fig. 1 is a cross .sectionth-rough a preferred embodiment of my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan viewof same, a portion thereof being cut away to better illustrate the internal structure. I v, i

In the form of the invention shown, I provide, a tank 11 having a tight bottom 12 and a tight top 13. Secured inside the tank on angle irons 14 is a lower electrode 20, this 5 electrode being solidly and electrically connected to the tank 11. Suspended above the lower electrode 20 is an upper electrode 30,.

this electrode being suspended on three rods 31, each of which issecured in the lower end of a porcelaininsulator 32. Secured in the top of the porcelain insulators32 are rods 33 which are threaded at their upper ends 34. These rods pass through stuffing boxes 35 and are engaged by hand wheels 36 by means of which the rods maybe raised and lowered and the distance between the electrodes 20 and 30 may be varied. An insulator 40 is secured in the top of the. tank having a rod 41 passing throughthe center. The lower end of the rod 41 is connected by means of a flexible Wire {12 with one of the rods 31. The secondary 51 of atransformer is connected between the upper end of the rod 41 and the top 13 of the tank 11. The primary 52 of the transformer 50 is excited from any convenient source.

The emulsion to be treated is delivered through piping having a valve 61 therein,

this piping being turned upwardly and haviiig connectionwith a nipple 62 which is somewhat higher than the extreme peak of the top 13. A check valve 63 isfconnected into the piping 60 above the nipple 62, this valve being so arranged that it will admit air to the piping but closes as soon as any internal pressure is put upon the piping. The 'aiping 60 passes downwardly into the botto of the treater, the oil being delivered to the treater through. small holes 65 in a circular pipe 66. Water is withdrawn from the bottom of the treater through piping having a valve 71, the piping 70 passing up and including a nipple 72 which is above the extreme peak ofthe top 13. An open pipe 73 provides a vent for the piping 70 which passes downwardly as shown at 74 to suitable drainage. Cleaned oil is taken off from the tank through piping which passes upwardly and is connected to a valve 81. This" check valve 81 is exactly similar to the check valve 63 previously described. The extreme peak of the top 13 is provided with a gas vent pipe 90. This pipe is extended up for some distance and provi (as means for the ready escape of any vapor or gas which may be delivered or formed inside the dehydrator. t

' The method'of operation of my invention is as follows:

Emulsion isdelivered to the piping 60 passing through the nipple 62 which is higher than the peak of the top 13. The object of passing the emulsion through the nipple 62 so placed is to prevent the tank from being emptied by a back flow through the piping 60. In the event that the supply of emulsion is shut off and the piping 60 is left open, liquid will not flow back through the piping due to the fact that'the siphoning is prevented by the check valve 63 and it is impossible to cause emulsion to flow from the tank through the nipple 63 which is higher than the top of the tank. In the same way the pipings 70 and 80 are so arranged that the tank will not be drained by either i of these pipes thusinsu'ri ng the tank always being full of liquid excludingoxygen and tom of the tank through the pipe 66. It is/ to be n ted thatthis emulsion is to be de livered at a point below the lower electrode and that the cleaned oil is taken from the tank at a point above the upper electrode 30.

It should also be borne in mind thatthe cleaned oil is lighter than the emulsion due to the fact that the oil has been freed'from its water which readily settles allowing the cleaned oil to rise.- It should also be noted that the tank is a very large area as compared to the inlet and outlet pipes and that it is free from agitation and Stratification of thewater and oil takes place therein. The result of this is that as soon as treatment starts, the cleaned oil tends to rise to the top of the tank and the water tends to settle in the bottom, there being a gradual increase of the water content from the bottom to the extreme top of the tank. This produces a stratified field in the space be tween the electrodes '20 and 30, the lower portion of this field being very wet and the upper portion being comparatively dry. The dry'oil around the electrode acts as a dielectric and prevents the passage of disruptive discharges through the body of oil or emulsion th-us allowing a high voltage to be maintained between the electrodes without appreciable current flow. It has been ed oil withdrawn through the pipe 80 remains in the top of the treater and forms an effective insulation reinforcing the insulators 32 and 40. The water is withdrawn through the piping 70, the flow of water be ing controlled by the valve 71. I a

ll claim as my invention:

1. In a dehydrator for emulsions, the

combination of; a tank; a lower electrode in I said tank; an upper electrode suspended in said tank above said lower electrode; means for delivering emulsion to said tank at a point below said upper electrode; means for withdrawing cleanoil from said tank at a I point above said upper electrode; and meansthe upper electrode is suspended upon in sulating meansinside the tank but below the clean oil outlet.

5. A dehydrator as in claim 1 in which the upper electrode is perforated with holes to allow clean oil and gas to escape upwardly therethrough.

Tn testimony whereof, T have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 20th day of December, 1921.

. WILLIAM O. EDDY. I 

